In the "Ask Linda" columns I answer questions from readers who are uncertain how to proceed correctly under the Rules of Golf. No names are used – all questioners are referred to as Lulu (or Lou, in the case of male writers), in honor of the smart and sassy comic character.
Please send questions from your personal golf experiences to: llmillergolf@gmail.com.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Ask Linda #776- Where to drop when ball crosses water

Dear Linda,

Referring to Ask Linda
#686-Drop on near or far side of hazard, what if the
water area is surrounded by red stakes? The ball was hit across the water area,
landed on the bank but behind the red stakes at the opposite site, and rolled
back into the water. Where should I drop the ball?

Thanks,

Lou from Hong Kong

Dear Lou,

The point of reference for dropping a ball outside a hazard
is always where the ball last crossed
the margin of the hazard. It is very important that you understand this
concept.

A water hazard may or may not have water, but it should
always have stakes and/or lines to define its margin. If your ball crosses the
near margin of the hazard, flies across the water, lands on the opposite bank
(but not past the lines or stakes on
the opposite side), and rolls back into the water, the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard
on the near side. For a lateral hazard, you may drop no closer to the hole
within two club-lengths of the point on the near side where it entered the
hazard.

It is of no significance whether the ball crossed the water;
it is of great significance if the ball crossed
the margin of the hazard on the opposite side before it rolled back past
the stakes and re-entered the hazard. In the latter case, the ball crossed the
margin of the hazard three times: once on the near side, once on the far side, and
once again on the far side where it rolled back in. It is the point where the
ball rolled back into the hazard that is the reference point for your
two-club-length drop. This is the point where your ball last crossed the margin of the hazard.

In addition to the two-club-length drop, you have the option
to drop another ball under stroke and distance (hit a ball from the spot where
you hit your previous shot) or drop on the line-of-sight to the hole [Rule
26-1]. Remember that “line-of-sight” means anywhere on the line behind the
hazard that starts at the hole, passes through the point where your ball last
crossed the margin of the hazard, and extends to infinity. You may also drop within two club-lengths of a point on the opposite side of the lateral hazard that is equidistant from the hole.